Vegetables for Southern California
Question from Chris:
I am not a beginner gardner but I am definitely not at your level yet. I am on a mission to gain as much knowledge as possible regarding organic gardening, I am seeking an internship of sorts in Panama to work on a new sustainable community called the Kalu Yala (Kaluyala.com). I feel I have a good chance of winning this competition as my video has got a lot of positive feedback. If I win I would get a 25,000 dollar grant to start my first organic farm and 5 acres to work on. The soil is excellent and I am excited. Do you know of any farms or organic gardens in the area that I should visit?
Answer from Pat:
Thanks so much for writing. First, I want to encourage you in your desire to get an internship in Panama on a new sustainable community.
A glance at the site indicates that this community may be early in its development, may offer great learning and service opportunities, and may be an exciting adventure as well as one of lasting value. When and if you arrive there, you will doubtless have opportunities to learn a great deal about the area and the work required of you to make your 5 acres into a productive farm or garden while growing plants adapted to the climate in Panama and recycling back into the land all the organic waste products from the animals you raise and the plants that you grow.
I’m sorry I do not know of other organic farms in Panama, but once you arrive there I would suppose you will have the opportunity to meet other gardeners and learn from them the rhythm of farming and gardening there, what crops to grow, and when to plant and harvest. Every climate offers its advantages and drawbacks, but timing is all-important. The best way to learn these things is to talk to long-time organic farmers in the area. If there are none then you will have to rely on books and scholarship to know what to do when. In the 1940’s, my mother purchased and then ran an organic farm mainly by reading “Rodale’s Organic Farming and Gardening Magazine” and also a current, multi-volume encyclopedia of farming. Then she would have us all do exactly what that magazine (which was very good in those days) and also the encyclopedia said to do. She also wrote lists of tasks and then crossed them out as we accomplished these items. Another way she learned was from the County Agent, which was the name in those days of the Farm Advisor. I doubt you will have anyone like that in Panama, but it is important to listen to experts whenever you can and to learn from them.
When we had our farm we were living in a cold-winter climate. You will be in a tropical one and tropical gardening offers totally different and new challenges. In Africa several years ago I flew over a large area of small individually farmed and owned “strip farms” Each one was about an acre in size. These were hugely productive, but this one area (near Lake Victoria) had a nearly ideal growing climate with ample year-round rain. Torrential rains can ruin crops and rot seeds and roots, just as longtime drought can kill crops also. Dealing with insect and animal pests and plant diseases organically in Panama may also present challenges and be quite different from anything you have faced prior.
You say the soil is good and that is excellent news, but your task as an organic gardener will be to put back into the ground at the end of each season and before the next season, whatever nutrients your plants subtracted from the soil. In this way you can eventually leave it even better than you found it. You also have a chance to learn the economics and time management of farming. I wish you good fortune in all these endeavors.
With good wishes for your success and happiness in this project.
Thank you so very much, I am going to be at the Seminar in Huntington Beach if could make it.
Thanks for telling us about the seminar. Other interested people might want to attend and learn more. Can you provide a link and more information? For example: exact name of organization, time and location of event, and what research you have done to make sure the organization is legitimate and trustworthy.
Sorry I wasn’t clear in my last email. I was referring to the University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) Master Gardeners of Orange County seminar in Huntington Beach Sept 25th. I know I could learn some valuable information that I could use in Panama.
Got It! (Guess I was the one who was a little slow on the take.) But this year I will be speaking on spring planted bulbs, not a subject that’s likely to help you in Panama. Would love to see you there, of course, and the more breadth of information you have on garden subjects of all kinds the better and more able gardener you will become. But for information directly influencing your Panama experience, why not sign up for my Cool-Season (winter) Vegetable talk on September 4, 2010 at Rancho Los Alamitos in Long Beach? This event includes slide illustrated growing information from me and a cooking demonstration also by Cathy Thomas. See my “events” listing on this blog, and the Rancho Los Alamitos website for information and ticket purchase. http://www.rancholosalamitos.com/events.htm.
The temperatures at which specific seeds will and will not germinate will have a direct influence on what can be grown and when in Panama. Mountainous areas of Panama have a cooler climate than lower elevations. I suggest you begin now studying the climate and the night and day temperatures at various times of year at Kalu Yala, where you hope to be living and farming. Making a chart of the year and mark down the average night and day temperatures for every day of the year. Doing this year-round would help you to compare gardening here or in other climates in the United States with gardening there and if your location is mountainous, to think of such things as winter-protection for crops and what plants are adapted to cool nights and hot days.
Hello wanted to touch base with you and let you know what I have been up to. I am putting my Panama trip on hold for a while. The contest got moved back 6 months. I started a new business though that I think you would like. Its called Organics Out Back. We install organic gardens in homes, schools and businesses. We maintain the gardens for our clients, and donate all overages of vegetables and fruits to three shelters I have contacted. I will increase my shelters once my business allows. I just got a write up in the OC Register. ( http://www.ocregister.com/news/organic-260221-garcia-garden.html ) . I had a question that you might be able to help me with. Do you have a list of vegetables that will work in our area by season? I have been searching all over and can’t seem to find definitive answers. For example how long theoretically could I grow corn for example outdoors? I wanted some sort of form to show my customers so they could select the produce they want in their gardens depending on seasons. I also was wondering if you could look at my website and let me know what you think? http://www.organicsoutback.com
If I am being out of line for asking so many questions please let me know, I know someone with your vast knowledge is probably undulated with people asking your opinion. I just have a short list of peoples opinions I really trust, your at the top of the short list.
My book called “Southern California Organic Gardening, Month by Month” will provide lists of plants you can plant and grow in every month around the year and tell you when to plant them and when to give them whatever care they need. Follow that book and you should have no problems. You will need to go through the monthly chapters and then based on the information you find there, make your own form to give to your customers. Your idea for a form or a chart of this is a good one and I still have in my possession one such chart that I got many years ago. Right now time constraints prevent me from constructing one for you. You will have to make your own but will learn a huge amount by doing it.
Your new business sounds excellent and much needed. I applaud you for giving food to the hungry. And thank you so much for your kind words regarding my advice. Currently, despite other work, I am able to answer most questions and hope to be of help that way.
I just got your book . This is exactly what I needed. I appreciate your willingness to answer my questions. I am so excited to get into bed and jump into the book and even more excited to apply all my newly gained knowledge. So very appreciative.
This is good news. I wrote that book in such a way so that it would take the gardener by the hand and explain what to do each month throughout the year. By reading it month by month for a couple of years and doing the things that apply to the plants one is growing, one can in a year or two become a genuine expert. I am amused by the fact you are taking it to bed with you, since I have heard that so many times. During the last twenty years I can’t count the number of people who have told me that they keep this book under their bed and read it before going to sleep at night. This never ceases to amaze me since I think I might stay awake worrying about all the things I needed to do. We just can’t keep up with everything, at least I can’t, but as I’ve grown older I’ve been simplifying. I just can’t do any more all the things I used to do. Luckily, I did all that at one time, and I’m still here now to share the secrets I learned with other avid gardeners like yourself.
All the best with your future plans. I hope your garden and your new business with thrive and be a great influence for good.